Catha's Unoriginality
by delightisadream
Summary: A comparison piece between Every Witch Way and Talia in the Kitchen, as the writer Catha Ledeboer is...well...


**Okay, so yesterday (12.22.15) I was pissed off and today (12.23.15) I'm not in such a great mood either (not mad, but I'm not happy either; yanno how it goes), so I'm not quite sure if it's a good idea to write this now. I've wanted to do it because, well, it's incredibly stupid and I want to share that, so here we go! I will hold my really big opinion for the end, but some things could possibly be considered biased. However, the first line is just a fact.**

* * *

Catha Ledeboer is unoriginal.

In some ways I can understand this. _Talia in the Kitchen_ and _Every Witch Way_ are, after all, American adaptations of Latin American shows. If I choose to see it as nothing but a comparison to their counterparts, everything would be fine – slightly annoying, yes, but fine.

However, she goes beyond that. _Talia in the Kitchen_ (now abbreviated as TITK; I know, I know, it's terrible, but blame Catha) and _Every Witch Way_ (now abbreviated as EWW; again, I know) are nearly identical to each other.

Before we really get down to business on TITK's characters and their EWW (identical) counterparts, let's go over some things:

Both involve magic, and the fact that TITK and EWW had a crossover proves that they exist in the same world.

Both take place in Miami, Florida.

Both have twins.

Both schools have uniforms.

Both have restaurants owned by a character's family. **(Credit to my friend Kierra for noticing this one.)**

Both follow the same plotlines.

Both have NO CONTINUITY and mainly consist of PLOTHOLES.

* * *

Here are some actual, real-life facts:

Both were/are filmed in Miami, Florida.

Both are soap operas.

Both use no laugh tracks.

Both have really bad lighting, let's be real.

Both have good acting – and both have some less than stellar acting.

* * *

Congratulations! You've reached the portion in our program in which I analyze and compare the characters! I could literally copy and paste everything and just change a few details to these, and they'd practically be the exact same thing.

DISCLAIMER: I did not see nearly all of EWW season one, so the characters that only show in that season may not have the best descriptions.

First up…

* * *

 **TALIA PARRA**

moves to Miami (with sister Julie) to live with grandmother Dolores

both parents died

grandmother owns Lola's

discovers she's a spicemaster

stubborn, rude; wants to be in control

friend-zones Rudy Rosales

likes Tyson Fuccinelli since she first saw him; mutual interest

likes Jayden Grubb (ALSO A SPICEMASTER) when he shows up in 1B

enemies with Debbie Fuccinelli (ALSO A COOK) and Frenchie Fuccinelli – eventually resolved

Debbie likes Jayden too, although it's rarely touched on

best friend Valerie Landry is rather quirky

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: EMMA ALONSO**

moves to Miami with father Francisco

mother died

discovers she's a witch – the Chosen One, specifically

shy; unsure at first – stubborn, rude, cocky; wants to be in control later

friend-zones Tony Myers

likes Daniel Miller since she first saw him; mutual interest

likes Jax Novoa (A WIZARD) when he shows up in S2

enemies with Maddie Van Pelt (ALSO A WITCH) – eventually resolved

Maddie likes Daniel too, although it's only in S1 – Mia Black ("new girl" in S3) likes him, though

best friend Andi Cruz is rather quirky

picks Jax over Daniel in S3

* * *

Sound familiar? Let's keep going.

* * *

 **TYSON FUCCINELLI**

human

Debbie's twin

cousin Frenchie owns Fuccinelli's

likes Talia since he first saw her; mutual interest

best friends with Chris, but he's only in 1A so far

friends with Valerie

"kind of" fights with Rudy at first

jealous of Jayden

"good guy"

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: DANIEL MILLER**

human

likes Emma since he first saw her; mutual interest

best friends with Diego

friends with Andi

"kind of" fights with Tony at first

EXTREMELY jealous of Jax

"good guy"

doesn't like Maddie romantically (anymore)

gets rejected by Emma for Jax (S3)

ends up with Mia, a Kanay

ultimately gets sent to alternate universe by Emma

* * *

 **DEBBIE FUCCINELLI**

human

Tyson's twin

cousin Frenchie owns Fuccinelli's

immediately becomes enemies with Talia (ALSO A COOK) – eventually resolved

jealous of Talia being a spicemaster

Frenchie eggs her on to make her want to be better than Talia

has one friend (Avery) in her corner, basically for personal use

cocky

pays compliments to Rudy and fell asleep on him once

likes Jayden since she first saw him, although it's rarely touched on

Talia likes Jayden too

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: MADDIE VAN PELT**

witch

Immediately becomes enemies with Emma (ALSO A WITCH) – eventually resolved

jealous of Emma being the Chosen One

her mother Ursula eggs her on to make her want to be better than Emma

has two friends (Panthers: Sophie and Katie) in her corner, basically for personal use

cocky

ends up with Diego Rueda, the "nice guy"

dated Daniel on and off, although it was only in S1

Emma likes Daniel too (throughout series)

* * *

 **JAYDEN GRUBB**

moves to Miami in 1B

" _attractive_ new guy"

charismatic womanizer

spicemaster

supposed to beat Talia (ALSO A SPICEMASTER) in their Spice Battle

his brother Michael pushes him into the Spice Battle, though he seems to be for it a bit

falls for Talia in the process

jealous of Tyson

doesn't like Debbie romantically

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH(ES): JAX NOVOA & MIA BLACK**

 **JAX:**

moves to Miami (from Sydney, Australia) in S2

" _attractive_ new guy"

charismatic, cocky womanizer

wizard

supposed to take down Emma (A WITCH) during the Last Light plan

his father Jake pushes him into the Last Light plan

falls for Emma in the process

jealous of Daniel (although he knows he's not competition, courtesy of his cockiness)

 **MIA:**

moves to Miami in S3

" _attractive_ new girl"

"witch-hunter cheerleader"

Kanay

goes behind everyone's backs to destroy Emma (because Torres killed her parents)

uses Daniel for her plan

falls for Daniel in the process

jealous of Emma (although she knows she's not competition, courtesy of her unskilled powers)

* * *

 **VALERIE LANDRY**

 **(Also, to whoever edits the TITK Wikipedia page, Valerie is spelled V-A-L-E-R-I-E, not V-A-L-A-R-I-E. If you're reading this, please stop spelling it that way. Thank you.)**

Talia's best friend

lives down the street from Talia

human

rather quirky

has most answers, as she takes many classes at the community center

no love interest (YET)

friends with Tyson and Rudy

finds Jayden suspicious – rightfully so

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: ANDI CRUZ**

Emma's best friend

lives down the street from Emma

human

rather quirky

has most answers, albeit they're a little violent because of her chainsaw

hacked a video game to make Phillip ( _former_ zombie) her boyfriend – S2  & S3, end of both

friends with Daniel and Diego

finds Jax suspicious – rightfully so, although their conflict is eventually resolved

* * *

 **RUDY ROSALES**

human

mainly used for comic relief

likes Talia, despite being deep in the friend zone

"kind of" fights with Tyson over Talia at first

signs of developing feelings for Debbie

friends with Valerie

doesn't give much notice to Jayden

"ACTUAL good guy"

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH(ES): DIEGO RUEDA & TONY MYERS**

 **DIEGO:**

Kanay, even though his parents and sister aren't

Gigi's twin

parents own The 7 and The Beachside 7

best friends with Daniel (Mac Davis in S1)

mainly used for comic relief

ends up with Maddie, despite her initial reluctance

friends with Andi

has a mancrush on Jax

"ACTUAL good guy"

 **TONY:**

human

likes Emma, despite being deep in the friend zone

"kind of" fights with Daniel over Emma

friends with Diego, Mac, and Andi (also Daniel)

leaves after S1

* * *

 **FRENCHIE FUCCINELLI**

human

gay, right?

single

enemies with Talia

Debbie and Tyson's cousin

eggs Debbie on to be better than Talia

cocky for no real reason; makes others uncomfortable; doesn't like most people

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: URSULA VAN PELT**

powerless witch (so basically human, for you noobs)

divorced, and vies for Francisco's attention (although they are endgame)

Maddie's mother

eggs Maddie on to be better than Emma

cocky for no real reason; makes others uncomfortable; doesn't like most people

* * *

 **DOLORES PARRA**

human

Talia and Julie's grandmother

resides in Miami

owns Lola's (her late husband called her Lola)

son and daughter-in-law died

knows about the magical spices

doesn't necessarily like Tyson

prefers Rudy for Talia

kind of weird, but very loving

doesn't get along with Frenchie, or the Fuccinellis much for that matter – or Michael

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: FRANCISCO ALONSO**

human

Emma's father

moves to Miami for IHS teaching job – ends up principal

wife Maria died

doesn't know about magic, or that Maria was a witch

hates Daniel

prefers Jax for Emma

kind of weird, but very loving

scared of Ursula and her advances (although they are endgame)

* * *

 **MICHAEL GRUBB**

human, even though his brother's a spicemaster

single

Jayden's brother

pushes Jayden into the Spice Battle with Talia

doesn't get along with anyone; kind of unloving

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: JAKE NOVOA**

wizard

widower (until S4, but that's basically not cannon, okay)

Jax's father

pushes Jax into the Last Light plan

doesn't get along with anyone; VERY unloving, if at all

* * *

 **JULIE PARRA**

human, even though her sister and father are/were spicemasters

Talia's sister and Dolores' niece

grandmother owns Lola's

both parents died

child genius

best friends with Rocky Palroso (is he a crush?)

very curious about spices until let in on their magic

doesn't like the Grubb brothers or the Fuccinellis very much

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: GIGI RUEDA**

human, even though her brother's a Kanay

Diego's twin

parents own The 7 and The Beachside 7

IHS' school gossip "Miss Information"

best friends with Sebastian the Camera Guy (are they actually friends?)

very curious about magic until exposed to it multiple times, only to have memory erased

fawns over Jax at first (S2), but soon seems to dislike him (S3)

fawns over Daniel (S3 and onward)

* * *

 **ROCKY PALROSO**

human

knows about the spices' magic

best friends with Julie (I definitely think he has a crush on her)

claims he "knows a guy"

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: SEBASTIAN THE CAMERA GUY**

 **(This match is mainly because Julie = Gigi. We don't know much about Sebastian.)**

human

IHS' main cameraman for "Miss Information"

best friends with Gigi (are they actually friends?)

gets turned into a rat by Jax once and is never shown onscreen being turned back (he is, though)

scared of Daniel (S3, when he's Darko Daniel)

* * *

 **AVERY**

human

Debbie's best friend, usually for personal use

rather emotionless

honestly, her character is unneeded

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH(ES): SOPHIE JOHNSON & KATIE RICE**

human

Maddie's best friends, usually for personal use

Sophie: airhead; Katie: arrogant

honestly, BOTH their characters are unneeded

* * *

 **WILL**

spicemaster

seemingly harmless, but he's the main antagonist (in 1A, a little in 1B)

defeated by Talia

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: PRINCIPAL TORRES**

witch; former Chosen One

seemingly harmless, but she's the main antagonist (in S1; flashback in S3; partial at end of S4)

defeated by Emma and Maddie

* * *

 **CHRIS**

human

Tyson's best friend

only seen in 1A so far

 **EWW CHARACTER MATCH: MAC DAVIS**

 **(This is mainly because I didn't add in Mac, but these characters don't have big parts.)**

human

Diego's best friend

leaves after S1

* * *

While writing all the character analyses, I grew very embarrassed _for_ Catha at how many parallels there were. I'm sure there's more, don't get me wrong.

What I am going to go over now are some EPISODE comparisons. Here, everything is up for grabs. As previously mentioned, I didn't see most of EWW S1 – in fact, I didn't pay totally attention to the second half of TITK 1A! – so there has got to be WAY more parallels. (Also I am way too lazy to re-watch all the episodes and look for comparisons, so yeah.) If you think of any that aren't mentioned, put them in your review for me!

 **A few of these comparisons were brought to my attention by my sister and my good friend Kierra, just so you guys know I'm not the only one to credit for them.**

* * *

EWW (comparison first) = TITK (comparison second)

101 Discovery (powers, but not understood) = 101 And Spice Makes Nice (spices found)

101 (Maddie's smoothie spills) = 101 (Talia dumps smoothies on Debbie's head)

407 Lunch at Lola's (crossover) = 107 Every Witch Lola's (crossover)

216 Stormageddon (Jemma's stuck) = 138 Cooking it Cool (Jaylia's stuck)

224 Emma vs. Emma (Jax sees Demma hug so he goes through with the plan) = 138 (Jayden sees Tylia hug so he goes through with the battle

· 301 The Beachside 7 (Mia fakes drowning to get Daniel to kiss her, and Emma hates it) = 140 Escape to Spice Island (Jayden fakes drowning to get Talia to kiss him, and Ty flips out)

· 320 New Witch Order (Jemma/Demma – alternate – pool kiss) = 140 (Tylia pool kiss)

· 402 Road Trip (title) = 139-40 Spice Island/ (road trip included)

* * *

If you don't see how these two shows by Catha Ledeboer are nearly identical, then there's a simple explanation for that: you're blind. No, seriously, you'd have to be legally blind.

The solution here would be to move TITK (as EWW, sadly, has already ended with Catha as the writer) to TeenNick, where Jaylia would be allowed more sexual tension, swearing could be included, and Frenchie would come out of the closet. He could just be EXTREMELY flamboyant, but that doesn't seem to be the case. That would all be permitted IF – and only if – Catha was booted off the show. I don't care if she co-created any of the original shows; she should still get kicked off. I pray to God, _kick. Her. Off._

* * *

Now as for my opinion – this is way pathetic. There is next to no continuity (come on, she's a grown woman and writing is what she does _professionally_ – she shouldn't have that problem), she changes characters out of the blue and totally deteriorates development. All the little kids who watch these shows won't notice a thing, and maybe that's why she feels like she can get away with it, but no. There are older people watching this show. I may just be fourteen, but there are eighteen-year-olds watching this show. Obviously I can't speak for them all, but I know my sister got pissed by this shit.

Because of Catha's sucky writing I've grown to dislike many things about EWW, and, subsequently, TITK. That could be a good thing, though, because EWW was a big obsession of mine and it was kinda unhealthy to be honest.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading my long comparison/rant, and I hope I've drawn you to the light. Remember to drop me a review, and if I missed any comparisons, be sure to let me know!**


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